Gira switch buying guide
Updated: October 2026
You already have Gira System 55 on the wall, or you are about to buy the first piece, and the basket is where this usually goes wrong. A Gira switch buying guide has to start with the article type. An insert, a rocker and a frame are three different parts, and a 1-way, a 2-way and an intermediate are three different circuits. Order the face and you still have nothing that switches. This page stays on that choice. The four saved listings are on the [Gira switch comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/gira-switch).
You already have Gira System 55 on the wall, or you are about to buy the first piece, and the basket is where this usually goes wrong. A Gira switch buying guide has to start with the article type.
You already have Gira System 55 on the wall, or you are about to buy the first piece, and the basket is where this usually goes wrong. A Gira switch buying guide has to start with the article type. An insert, a rocker and a frame are three different parts, and a 1-way, a 2-way and an intermediate are three different circuits. Order the face and you still have nothing that switches. This page stays on that choice. The four saved listings are on the Gira switch comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Article | Circuit on the listing | Mounting | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Gira Gira 417630 switch and Schuko socket | Rocker and Schuko | Not in the table | Vertical | 7.2 | about £39.22 | View offer |
 Gira Gira 012600 tactile switch insert | Flush push insert | 1-way, ON-OFF | Flush, 28 mm | 0.0 | about £21.03 | View offer | |
 Gira Gira 010730 surface rocker | Surface rocker | Cross joint; table says 1-way | Wall mount | 0.0 | about £21.02 | View offer |
On this page
Insert, rocker and frame
Only the insert, or a complete surface switch, does the electrical job. The rocker is the face you press. The frame is the surround. Model 012600, the flush article in the saved files, is the insert on its own: one piece, a screw terminal, 80.9 g on the amazon.co.uk file, silver plastic. If you are starting from an empty box, 012600 does not include the face. A rocker bought alone will sit in a holder and still leave the circuit untouched. The surface article 010730 is a wall-mounted rocker in the water-protected surface programme, not a faceplate you clip onto a flush insert.
1-way, 2-way and intermediate
The circuit name is the second decision, and it is not the same word as the part name. A 1-way switch is the only control for that light. A 2-way pair is two positions for the same lamp, typically the stairs. An intermediate sits in the middle of three or more positions. The en-GB catalogue sheet for 010730 is the intermediate switch in the grey water-protected surface programme, rated 10 AX. The amazon.co.uk title says cross joint. The technical table on the same file says switch type 1-way. Those two lines cannot both be the circuit you are buying. Use the catalogue sheet, not the stray table field.
What the catalogue says about these two numbers
The UK catalogue sheet for 012600 calls it a touch insert, universal 1-way/2-way, 10 AX, with an installation depth of 28 mm and a lamp note of 100 W LEDi/CFLi. It is not the 2,500 W line printed in the amazon.co.uk file. The same saved file also prints Wi-Fi, Touch and IP54 beside a screw-terminal push insert. The sheet does not support those three as the ratings of 012600. For 010730, the sheet is the intermediate in the IP44 surface programme. The current intermediate in that programme is catalogue article 310730, and it is not one of the four saved listings.
Old rocker, new rocker
System 55 generations look the same from across the room and do not combine. Gira’s note on the new switch generation says the ranges are visually compatible and mechanically not, because the rocker holder changed. If you are buying 012600 as a new insert, buy the rocker from the same generation as that insert.
Questions before you order
Before you pay, write down three things: the circuit, the physical part, and the generation of the holder if System 55 is already on the wall. 012600 does not arrive as a finished plate. 010730 is not a 1-way because a table field says so. If the wall is a square British box, or you need a 13 A socket, the box and the plug are answered on the Gira System 55 British back box page.
Common questions
What is the difference between a 1-way, a 2-way and an intermediate?
A 1-way is the only control for that light. A 2-way is a pair of positions for the same light, which is the usual stair arrangement. An intermediate is the middle switch when you have three or more positions, such as bottom, landing and top. The catalogue sheet for 010730 is that intermediate article in the IP44 surface programme. Buying another 1-way will not add a third working position on an existing two-way run.
Why does Amazon call 010730 a 1-way switch?
The technical table on the saved file says switch type 1-way. The title on the same file says cross joint, and the en-GB catalogue sheet describes the intermediate switch. The file does not reconcile those lines. Use the sheet. If your circuit is a single switch in one room, this article is the wrong circuit even though the table looks convenient.
Do I need a frame and a rocker as well as 012600?
Yes, unless both are already on the wall and they belong to the same generation as the insert. The saved file lists one insert, 80.9 g. It does not list a frame or a rocker. A shop photograph of a complete plate is often a set, not this line item. Order the face at the same time if the box is empty, and match the rocker holder rather than the colour name alone.
Will a new System 55 rocker fit an old insert?
Not across the generation change. Gira says the old and new ranges look compatible and are mechanically not, because the rocker holder changed. A new rocker on an old insert, or the other way round, will not seat properly. Match the holder you already have. Forcing the rocker risks the clips. A finished set from one seller has usually paired them already.
What do 10 AX and 100 W LEDi/CFLi mean?
On the 012600 and 010730 sheets, 10 AX is the switching-current rating, and 100 W LEDi/CFLi is the lamp-load note for LED and compact fluorescent lamps. Neither figure is the 2,500 W line in the amazon.co.uk file for 012600, and neither makes every LED driver flicker-free. If a dimmer or a particular driver is the real problem, these on/off articles are the wrong place to solve it.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources from the research digest, with shelf prices and star lines from the amazon.co.uk files saved on 21 October 2026. Catalogue prices quoted excluding VAT are Gira’s January 2026 UK list, not shop prices.
- Gira UK data sheet 010730, intermediate surface switch (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Gira UK data sheet 012600, flush insert (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Gira data sheet 417630, switch and Schuko socket (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Gira UK data sheet 277603, BS 1363 socket (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Approved Document P, electrical safety in dwellings (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: work near electricity and secure isolation (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Senic support: Philips Hue Bridge V2 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, GOV.UK (retrieved 21 October 2026)